Meet the Children
by secretcastle
Summary: A newly engaged Hans deals with an unexpected task: winning Olaf's approval as Elsa's future husband. A one-shot short Helsa fluff fic.


**Meet the Children**

_**Summary: **__A newly engaged Hans deals with an unexpected task: winning Olaf's approval as Elsa's future husband. A one-shot short Helsa fluff fic._

_**Author's Note: **__I wrote this a long time ago when I was starting a new fanfic that eventually became "Forgiveness." This was supposed to be the happy ending to Hans' long journey from the time he met Anna in the hospital in Poland during the Napoleonic wars. However, in the course of writing Forgiveness, I decided that the story would go on a different more complicated direction. Since I haven't been able to even start on the sequel to Forgiveness, I decided to just release this for now. This is not how Forgiveness will end when I write its sequel, but you can consider this as something of an alternative story on how it could have ended or it can be enjoyed as a separate story on its own._

* * *

"Yes."

It seemed like all that Prince Hans of the Southern Isles ever wanted was fulfilled in that one word. His boyhood fantasies of belonging in a place he called his own, playing a role where he can be useful, gaining a job he enjoyed and being with a woman who would love him for the rest of his life and give him children that can continue his bloodline for another generation were all coming to fruition.

He basked on it for a full minute as his fingers ran through the silky blonde tresses of his beloved while he inhaled her uniquely soothing pine scent. He would have wanted to extend it a minute more but the spell was broken with someone clearing their throat with what was obviously a sign of displeasure. From his peripheral vision, he saw past Elsa's lovely face to meet the disgruntled gaze of an oval-headed snowman. The creature stood under the blistering sun on this warm day, seemingly unaware that the tiny snow cloud above its head was thinning at an alarming rate.

"Elsa?" the snowman began tentatively though his beady little eyes never left his face.

"Olaf..." his beautiful would-be bride muttered as she stepped away from his arms. Her face reddened and her lip quivered with worry. She appeared to be thinking hard how to explain the situation.

Apparently, she wasn't able to think fast enough. Olaf spoke again.

"Why is the bad man that tried to chop your head holding you? Should I get Anna now to punch him again?"

He should have known by now that his dreams may come true but they never went as smoothly as he imagined them. Family and magic always got in the way. In Elsa's case, he realized, they go hand-in-hand.

This "Being" she created appeared to be quite protective of her. Elsa had told him on more than one occasion that Olaf was a big part of her life. Even though he had the naivety of a beloved pet, Elsa treated him more like family: a second Anna or something of an extension of her sister. He looked harmless enough, fragile even. Hans witnessed on more than one occasion Olaf breaking into pieces or melting into a puddle on a hot day. Hans could never understand the snowman's inclination for tempting fate by standing in the sun too long even when Elsa was not around to reinforce his ice cloud. Why has he not learned by now that heat was detrimental to his health and his very existence? No one seems to have taught Olaf that fact.

He heard Anna's husband Kristoff once argued that someone ought to explain the concept of heat to the now eight-year-old Olaf but Anna had quickly shot him down by saying: "Don't you dare. Let him have fun and be an innocent child as he is."

For once, Hans had to agree with the mountain man. He may be a bit rough on the edges but he had common sense. Any man with sense should teach a child of eight—may it be human or snowmade—the nature of his physical limitations and give him ample lessons on personal safety. It was only good parenting after all.

_Good parenting? Good Lord! Where did that thought come from?_ Was he really thinking of becoming a parent figure for Olaf now?

When he pondered about it, it was the inevitable outcome of his new situation. Olaf was part of Elsa's family. It could even be argued that Olaf, as Elsa's creation, was her offspring. As Elsa's husband, he would become Olaf's stepfather.

_Stepfather? God in heaven! _The implication of that thought made him shudder.

His experience with stepparents was never good. The Westergaards were not exactly very happy with stepparent relationships that formed within their family. His father, the king, had six wives. The first five bore the thirteen princes of the Southern Isles. Each new queen was as ambitious as the next, always favoring their offspring and undermining the older children born from the previous marriages. The children in turn, hated their stepmothers and resented their own siblings as a result. Hans, as the youngest, felt the brunt of the disdain of all twelve brothers when his own ambitious Mama sought his father's favor on his behalf when she was alive. He continued to feel it even after she died. When wife number six came along, he finally understood his brothers' resentment. The last queen of the Southern Isles was as ambitious as her five predecessors. She did everything she could to undermine Hans in favor of her daughter, the only girl of the Westergard brood who became the apple of their father's eye.

For years, Hans had witnessed firsthand how destructive his family became as each brother tried to outdo the others. He didn't want to endure a similar situation in family he was starting with Elsa. If nothing else, he wanted at least a little peace with her. Olaf, he realized, was someone he needed to deal with carefully to achieve that goal.

"Olaf..." Hans began tentatively before he remembered the snowman was still standing in the heat. "Let's get you first under some shade." He led the waddling snowman away from the middle of the garden and into edge of it where the shadow of the castle provided a cooler atmosphere. Olaf's snow cloud immediately regenerated into a healthier puff.

Satisfied, Hans knelt down to the snowman's level. "First of all I want to apologize for that error long ago. I was wrong and I'm very sorry for trying to kill Elsa that day. I was very frightened then but also misguided in my ambitions. I swear to you, I will never hurt Elsa again."

Olaf stared at him, his expression softening for a moment as he took in Hans' apology. However, it hardened once more and he crossed his twig arms across his chest.

"And what about Anna?" he demanded. "You broke her heart."

He was tempted to answer: "Well she broke my nose, so we're even," but he bit back the retort. Getting defensive wasn't the best way to get into Olaf's good side. "I'm sorry about Anna too. I was wrong to play with her feelings."

"And for locking her up?" Olaf demanded.

"And for locking her up," he admitted contritely.

"And for not kissing her when she needed it?"

"And for not kissing her when she needed it," he repeated. He wasn't really sorry about that one. He still thought Anna was a bit silly for believing in stupid fairytales and needed to be taught a lesson at that time. However, he did regret he became too cruel with her. His later interactions with Anna while she nursed him after he barely escaped death during the Russian winter march with Napoleon's army, made him realize the value of her kindness and her sense of decency.

Olaf's hardened mouth formed a tiny smile. "Oh well, I guess I'm glad you didn't kiss her. That wouldn't have been true love at all and she would have wasted her first kiss on you."

"Uh... yeah I supposed so," Hans replied. He was a little confused where this was going but if it was leading towards Olaf warming up to him, then he should just agree.

"Elsa lost her first kiss to someone who wasn't her true love and that was just sad," Olaf went on. "Knudsvig made her really unhappy."

Hans heard a little gasp from Elsa and something painful clenched in his chest. Elsa had been trapped in a loveless marriage for five years to Prince Knudsvig, the second son of the king of the Northern Isles. It was the price she paid to keep her people fed after she cut trading ties with both Weselton and the Southern Isles following her disastrous coronation.

When the British began blockading the sea trading routes as a consequence of their ongoing war with Napoleonic France one year into Elsa's reign, Arendelle was put in a desperate situation to find an alternative supplier for food stocks before the onset of winter. The situation proved even more desperate with warring countries on both sides of their borders that made it impossible to engage in much needed trade that can sustain the Arendelle populace. To avert a famine, Elsa was forced to accept a treaty into the one remaining country in the region who was still willing and able to help her. The treaty came with her hand in marriage to an eighteen year old dandy of a prince who left her mostly alone to rule while he whored, drank and gambled away his monthly stipend from Arendelle's coffers. The marriage thankfully ended eight months ago when Elsa's husband was found dead in a high-end brothel in Corona from an apparent overdose of absinthe.

Hans had known Elsa suffered in silence throughout her marriage. It still pained him to be reminded of what she endured for the sake of her people. He vowed to her he would wipe away those sad memories and give her a better life she deserved. He realized, he could start by making certain he had a harmonious relationship with the people she loved, and that included Olaf.

"Olaf," he said sincerely. "You have my word, I will do my best to give Elsa no cause to be unhappy. She will be loved as she deserves to be loved." He snuck a peek at Elsa who beamed at him, glassy-eyed with unshed tears.

Olaf stared at him for a moment before his face broke into a smile. "That's just real nice of you. I guess you're okay if you're really sorry."

"Really, really sorry," Hans muttered. "I promise I won't hurt Elsa and Anna again. Can we be friends now?"

"Okay," Olaf grinned. "Do you like warm hugs?" He held out his arms, a gesture that could not be mistaken for anything else but a demand for an embrace.

Hans froze, unsure of what to do as thoughts of a disintegrating Olaf danced through his head. "Errr... I might melt you?"

"Just hug him Hans," Elsa whispered to him. "He won't get hurt."

Hans gave in and opened his arms. The snowman threw himself at Hans so fast that Hans felt a shock when the cold struck his body. It felt much like having a snowball hitting directly into his face, except the snowball was talking to him. Somehow his head went through Olaf's and the snowman's mouth ended up somewhere near his ear. Hans tried not to panic as he realized there was a pair of eyes sticking onto his hair and a carrot wobbling on top of his chin.

"Whoa, got a little too eager there, but you're a good hugger Prince Hans. Now if you'll just help put me back together?"

Hans felt queasy at the thought of reforming the mushy snowball back into a head and plucking out the eyes from where they were hanging from his sideburns. He couldn't decide how to go about it without poking them by accident.

"Let me help," he heard Elsa giggle. He felt a slight chill encase him as Olaf's body parts slowly peeled off his head and reformed itself. Well almost all of it. Olaf's lower half was still running around beside his left leg.

"Just grab his rear, will you?" Elsa asked as if she was just requesting him to pass a scarf and not a wiggling mutilated trunk. Hans hesitated and Olaf's bottom ran circles around him as if taunting him: "Catch me if you can!"

Hans steeled himself then grabbed for the moving body part with one swift move. He lifted it up and gawked openly at the pair of ball-shaped feet that were still kicking frantically in the air. He held it up to his eye-level, fascinated by this strange phenomenon.

"It does that sometimes," Olaf explained. "And watch out when it—"

He never heard what it was but found out what he should be watching out for when one of the kicking feet came loose from its trunk and struck Hans right in the noggin.

"Owww!" was all he could say while Elsa laughed out loud behind him. He glared at her but she just kept laughing.

"Sorry, my feet got a little too happy." Olaf apologized. He gave Hans a look that reminded him of Sitron when he was begging for some sugar. Hans immediately forgave the snowman and his rather errant feet. The hilarity of the situation tickled something inside of him and he let out an uncontrollable chuckle that Olaf heartily joined.

"You're okay Olaf," Hans said as he helped reunite the snowman's head with his lower body.

"You too Prince Hans. It's great to have new friends," Olaf replied.

"I'm glad you boys are getting along," Elsa said. She knelt beside Hans to be on the same level as the snowman and her expression turned serious. "Olaf, I have some news for you."

"Oh I love news. Is it good news?"

"Very good news, Olaf." Elsa took Hans' hand. "Hans is going to live here now."

"He is?" Olaf clapped his twig arms in glee and Hans knew he had won over the snowman.

"Yes, Olaf. Hans and I will be married."

Olaf suddenly frowned and his expression reminded Hans of his own feelings as a child when his father announced he would marry again after his mother died. Olaf was probably feeling the same thing.

"Married like you and Knudsvig were married?" Olaf asked tentatively and Hans knew immediately what was wrong. Olaf's perception of marriage was based on what he had seen with Elsa's first marriage and the snowman was observant enough to note that Elsa was unhappy with that affair. However, Hans remembered that Olaf probably had another experience with the concept of marriage, one that was more positive and can be made as a better example that Olaf can easily comprehend.

"No Olaf," Hans reassured. "It won't be like Knudsvig at all. It will be a loving marriage like Anna's and Kristoff's."

Olaf beamed. "Oh! Oh! You mean you'll make Elsa smile and laugh a lot like Kristoff does to Anna?"

"I'll make it a point she will always have a reason to laugh everyday, she'll infect the whole kingdom with her joy," he said with a warm glance at his bride. He was rewarded by a tiny giggle from her. Yes, he'll make sure she lets those giggles out on a regular basis too.

"And you'll make Elsa eat meals properly when she forgets like Anna does to Kristoff when he works too hard?" Olaf continued.

"Elsa will never have a reason to skip a meal even when she's busy. I'll even bring her breakfast in bed when the occasion arises." He winked at Elsa then added suggestively: "The occasions when I don't want her out of bed at all."

Elsa blushed bright red and looked apprehensively at Olaf but the little snowman didn't seem to understand his hint.

"Oh that's nice. You'll let her get rest just like Kristoff does when he lets Anna sleep in on Sundays. And are you gonna stop picking your nose and eating it when Elsa tells you just like Anna did to Kristoff?"

Hans was quite busy admiring Elsa's reddened cheeks to catch the entirety of Olaf's sentence but he recognized that the snowman was waiting for a reply. "Of course I'm going to stop picking my..." he halted as he realized what Olaf just said and it was his turn to blush before Elsa. "No I do not pick my nose and eat it. That's disgusting!"

"Oh that's great! It's one less thing you and Elsa can argue about then," Olaf declared and he went on babbling something about how Kristoff keeps sneaking in nose picking times when Anna's not looking. Hans tuned out the rest of the narrative. He wasn't keen to know his would-be brother-in-law's gross ticks. Elsa's smiles were more deserving of his full attention.

"So do I pass the test with Olaf?" he asked.

"I think you and Olaf will get along just fine," Elsa said. "You'll get used to him. He already seems used to you."

"I'm glad. I did say I want to make it up to your family. I'm sure Anna would approve of us."

"Confident are we?" Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Well she did literally push you in my direction? That birthday bugle horn did not roll on itself."

Hans recalled last month's incidence during Anna's birthday party. Elsa was about to blow the enormous traditional birthday bugle horn from the high dais where it rested, when Anna had somehow knocked it over. It rolled straight towards Elsa who jumped off the dais to escape being flattened and fell on Hans who was standing directly below. Hans had good reflexes and managed not only to catch the queen but also to hold her tight against his body a split-second before the horn fell bell-first on top of them. They both narrowly escaped serious injury, as Hans' quick thinking allowed them to end up trapped in the hollowed part of the gigantic instrument. The tight space between them left them no choice but to embrace each other until they were rescued three hours later. The lengthy time spent trapped in such intimate space forced them to admit their long held feelings and culminated into a fiery kiss. Hans could chalk up the accident to Anna's innate clumsiness but he wasn't dumb enough to believe that getting them out of that silly horn, as heavy as it was, would take the greater part of three hours. Anna had set them up and he will be forever grateful that she did.

Elsa laughed. "I'm pretty sure Anna wouldn't try to kill me just to push me toward you. She's family."

"Of course not," Hans said. "She's just a bit of a clutz that occasionally comes up with some hair brained scheme with good intentions that could be potentially dangerous."

Elsa glared at him.

"He does have a point Elsa," Olaf interrupted.

"See, even Olaf agrees with me," Hans seconded.

Elsa's glare extended to Olaf and Hans realized he needed to smooth things out.

"Don't be mad, Elsa. I love you too much and if getting threatened bodily harm from Anna's good intentioned schemes every once in a while is worth it just to be with you."

Elsa's expression only softened slightly. One of her eyebrows continued to arch. "Suck up," she said, though her tone was more teasing than angry.

"It's true!" Hans declared in an overly-dramatic fashion as he flashed her an innocent smile. "Bring in the rolling gigantic horns or the accidental chin punches. I will gladly take them all for you."

A giggle escaped Elsa and her eyebrow finally leveled down.

"Well Hans," Elsa said when she was able compose herself. "If you're really worried about someone in my family causing you bodily harm, it's not Anna you should be worried about."

Hans frowned. "Kristoff?" He had met the gentle mountain man before and although he did possess a brute strength that could probably take Hans down, he had known Kristoff wasn't exactly one who favored violence.

"Not Kristoff," Elsa said seriously. "I'm talking about my other snowman. He's sort of like Olaf's younger brother."

"Oh yes!" Olaf cried cheerful. "Oh Hans! You must meet Marshmallow and tell him you and Elsa are getting married!"

"Marshmallow?" Hans asked as he pictured a smaller version of Olaf running around in the castle. He supposed that's another stepchild he had to deal with. If he was anything like Olaf, he wasn't too worried. "Well of course, I'd love to meet him."

Elsa refused to meet his eyes. "Well Hans, the thing is... you already met Marshmallow."

"I don't recall seeing another snowman in the castle aside from Olaf, Elsa," Hans replied. He racked his brain for a memory but he couldn't come up with another Olaf-like being.

"That's because Marshmallow doesn't live in this castle," Elsa said uncomfortably. "He lives in my other castle and you sort of... got on the wrong foot with him when you first met."

Hans felt a chill down his spine as he realized who Elsa was talking about.

He literally got on the wrong foot with Marshmallow. He was almost certain Marshmallow a.k.a. the Snowbeast is most likely going to return the favor when they meet again.


End file.
